The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-11-11
OUR FIRST HUNDRED.

4 correspondent OF the Manchester
Mirror writes: ! was mechanic am
a FARMER now, and have been Tor many
years. | was 4 good workman, and had
constant employment except when work
was slack. one day said to my young
wife,
Il never shall be anything but another
mans servant unless We accumulate some
capital
Quick came the response
"NelL accumulate some then; I will
help YOU"
That response was the making OF our
: fortune. Alter talking the matter over
: We agreed not TO stint ourselves in food,
clothing. books and news papers, but 10
avoid all waste, TO make no foolish
purchases, TO shun balls, parties and cN-
CursIous, and buy no rum, tobacco, or
cigars. II did not take long argument
to convince ne that 10 st .irc 70 = ten
cent piece and burn l. up was not the
way 10 have u n my pocket And rom
that day 10 this, ! have never spent a
cent IN tobacco IN auy form. The money
! did not spend would buy = span OF
good horses.
My wife laughingly said shehaI heard
o:p-0p.e putting their savln-# into IN
Oil king. and We would have a stock
,ug % pat OUTS ia. ! drew any wages
weekly, and "n the SATURDAY Ul-u- !g.-
lJwla" she GTypu-l q silver i.'a.g iu.O
IT, IL .-.. ..uaFa silently. Ca ih.- .... .ry-
InE ~dtug .ay aGotler went IA 10 cl.u.>-l,
my vile laDNyt mp Iu8 smiled az tle
sound Week after week IN went the
dollar, souctl.ues two. - l-u.ta she
bad lost the cyuut, and after tn children
wera put ~ bed AMI the door fastened 10
insure secrecy. she enpued the contents
G.j w- gyGut,I seventeen dollars three
dollars w-rr added To make twenty. The
same plan was followed until We had
forty dollars. Ih-n my wife s.id,-
Ii YOU viii let me manage this thing
I vii, show v0u what I can do"
consented and she babe M, % 10 the
grOreg man and ask what discount he
would make on bIl oi thirty dollars Tor
family groceries.
Ten per cent, the grocer replied.
She 1-L-s Os-t list 10 tLc amount, and
when hanI-iIt 20 h!uI and this money.
IL gave nae Lack three d. Lays, and sent
the Eoots. That was = great event in
our hives
"YoUu find" said she, that I shall
not use them more freely than If thev
were bought in driblets ~ = higher price
She turned the three silver dollars over
IN her hand and a smile oversuread her
face that Was worth more than three dol
Lars 20 see She had justified herself 70
herself and proved 70 me- that sh. had a
business capacity. From that time she
made all Of our purchases, and l never
had cause 20 regret having trusted her.
In short time the Old stocking was re-
pl-tci, lor nearly the whole of several
weeks waEes went into il.
We were very careful now 70 draw the
bin s closely, laStcn the doors and speak
IL whispers, so that our nei.hJUrs should
not suspect how rich We We're The old
stocking grew TO be- quite heavy and went
down with thuI that was ycrv pleasant
to hear Soon We hal aIxty-seventy-
eighty dollars. How rich We were And
duly as the weeks came round the count
HE WAS renewed, Our happi-st hours,
now, WrTc those IL which we .inrcr,.l
over our treasure. Nv wife ! think.
liked 10 finger the shining metal. and
truly | was nothing loath. The. nearer
the cnt the more anxious we were TO At
tain Il; VIC grew ieyerish-pincheda a lit
tie think, and We counted niaetv-fiy,.
dollars. ~ the end OF the next week, in
went the other ~. and the work was
done. We counted II oyer two ~ tbr.a
ulncs-yes, i was all there. To prolouz
the pleasure EY vile pretended that sh,.
had ina ie mistake, 81 might have made
one, aut II would never 10 70 find il
short when counted again. 50 we ling
cred over the last counting. Then her
eyes met mine, and Thank God I" she
exclaimed; and 7, AS thankful. added
Amen You smile, Well. perhaps
yOu came into property without effort,
but Just think Of poor fellow who had
never owned one hundred dollars clear
IN hls whole life sitting before i pile of
own earnings, and acros, the
table lovely woman, the cause OF it all,
wouldn't he smile?
jumped up and kissed her dear lips.
They are silent now, and am zrowin,
old. But that night We were the hap
pIest couple in New England. We
counted our savings by thousands after
waEd. but never again could We taste the
delicious JOY OF that hour in which we
counted our first hundred.